Continued from Why I Am a Prepper.
Our Spiritual Responsibility:
In terms of our responsibility as witnesses, when we observe our culture's moral descent, we must guard against thinking ourselves better than those around us. We are sinners, saved by grace . . . SINNERS, saved by GRACE. As we seek to conform ourselves to the character of Christ, we must walk a precarious line.
On the one hand, we must avoid and reprove the ungodliness that we see all around us. On the other hand, we must avoid self-righteous attitudes. We must apply a passage like this to ourselves first and foremost and then to our neighbors.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:8-10 WEB)
We must approach preparedness in terms of our spiritual responsibility to provide for ourselves and our neighbors as we see God's deepening judgment on the Church and the nation. Scripture requires as much.
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it. (Proverbs 27:12 WEB; also, Proverbs 22:3)
But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8 WEB)
For these reasons, we prepare to provide our households with food, clothing and shelter for eventual catastrophe.
Beyond our responsibility to witness and to provide material necessities, we also have a spiritual responsibility to provide leadership. As society loses the moral glue that holds it together, we must have real answers about how a community can and should function in terms of God's Word. In fact, Jesus made this a major objective of the Great Commission.
Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go and DISCIPLE ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT I COMMANDED YOU. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20 WEB)
In other words, we need to have answers for our neighbors as to what went wrong in our culture and how to correct those errors as a community and a nation. Our assignment is to disciple them to think in terms of a Biblical worldview and live in terms of it.
I've linked to an essay, “When the Treasuries are Empty”, that will help you realize what this means.
Our Spiritual Responsibility:
In terms of our responsibility as witnesses, when we observe our culture's moral descent, we must guard against thinking ourselves better than those around us. We are sinners, saved by grace . . . SINNERS, saved by GRACE. As we seek to conform ourselves to the character of Christ, we must walk a precarious line.
On the one hand, we must avoid and reprove the ungodliness that we see all around us. On the other hand, we must avoid self-righteous attitudes. We must apply a passage like this to ourselves first and foremost and then to our neighbors.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:8-10 WEB)
We must approach preparedness in terms of our spiritual responsibility to provide for ourselves and our neighbors as we see God's deepening judgment on the Church and the nation. Scripture requires as much.
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it. (Proverbs 27:12 WEB; also, Proverbs 22:3)
But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8 WEB)
For these reasons, we prepare to provide our households with food, clothing and shelter for eventual catastrophe.
Beyond our responsibility to witness and to provide material necessities, we also have a spiritual responsibility to provide leadership. As society loses the moral glue that holds it together, we must have real answers about how a community can and should function in terms of God's Word. In fact, Jesus made this a major objective of the Great Commission.
Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go and DISCIPLE ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS THAT I COMMANDED YOU. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20 WEB)
In other words, we need to have answers for our neighbors as to what went wrong in our culture and how to correct those errors as a community and a nation. Our assignment is to disciple them to think in terms of a Biblical worldview and live in terms of it.
I've linked to an essay, “When the Treasuries are Empty”, that will help you realize what this means.
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